Let’s make a Christmas arrangement using mostly foraged and recycled materials. I like the natural look, but I also like to reduce my consumption of things that will be thrown away at the end of the holidays. Here’s a step-by-step of the greens and branches that I cut on my property with a few photos of how they were assembled.
I choose Christmasy greens such as balsam fir and pine and add to that a few unusuals like rhododendron and heather. Branches such as alder, with cones, birch and red ozier dogwood add textural interest. Instead of purchasing plastic berries, I like to use rose hips. Rose hips are the seed or fruit that develops once the blossom dies. My rugosa rosa needed pruning so I figured I would kill two birds with one stone. I have a wonderful holly bush in my yard that I swipe a few branches from every year for my Christmas decorating. When putting together this arrangement I found some fabulous rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) seed heads that I added for height and texture.
I save the soil from my potted summer vegetables to use as a form to stick the branches in. I usually choose a tomato plant to reclaim the soil from as they are very well rooted and the roots in the soil are what help to hold it together and hold the branches in place. Cut the plant back and the soil should easily slip out in one piece. I pick a nice seasonal pot such as the red one in the photo and insert the soil into it.
Next, I green up the pot with the balsam fir and pine. This gives me the basic shape of my arrangement. I place a few tall balsam fir tips for height and some pine to give a nice diagonal swoop. White pine or chamaeycyparis works nicely for this purpose if you can get your hands on some. Once I have this basic shape I add the bows. IMPORTANT! Don’t cheap out on the bow. This added feature will make or break your arrangement. You can save your bows from year to year to save them from going to the landfill. (I really am turning into my mother. She took the ‘reduce and reuse’ of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ very seriously.)
The next steps are purely creative. At this point I randomly add the branches, seed heads, rose hips, heather, holly and rhododendron until there are no more empty spots and everything looks balanced and ‘voila’ you have a lovely, inexpensive Christmas decoration for your front step. Be sure to water it once it is finished as the branches will continue to take up water and last longer. The water in the soil will freeze and aid in keeping the branches in place and the extra weight will keep it from turning into tumbleweed on a windy, winter’s night.
Have a wonderful Christmas season. Enjoy good food, sing carols, visit friends and neighbours and don’t forget to consider those who are not fortunate enough to have friends and family to spend the holidays with. If you have fun making a seasonal arrangement, make a few extras and leave one on the doorstep of someone who is alone. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?
